Education Reforms: Table the Gender Analysis - Question Period
MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
My colleague, the member for Dartmouth North, recently had an opportunity in the Community Services Committee to ask the executive director of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women if government legislation was examined through a gender lens before it is brought forward. Her response was that, yes, for reports and recommendations that go to Cabinet there is a check box that says if a gender analysis been done and any department putting that forward would look at whether they had done a true gender analysis and check it off. I will table that.
Will the minister table the gender analysis done on the proposed reforms to education?
HON. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for the question. The response that was given at that committee is indeed correct, there is a gender analysis. Each piece of legislation that goes through the House is in fact - you can do a gender analysis on that, there's a place for that, training has taken place for that. But we don't yet have GBA+. I think that's what the honourable member is speaking about and we are examining that issue even as we speak.
MS. CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I take from that answer that a gender analysis has not been done, and I would request that the gender analysis be tabled before this legislation goes forward. We're talking about the impact on half the population so I sincerely hope the minister did check off that box.
It's not the first time this government has forced through legislation that targets women. A little over a year ago this government stripped the collective bargaining rights of about 6,000 women working in public education. Now, just in time for International Women's Day, the minister is eliminating the only level of elected government with gender parity. The value of these women is not as wives or mothers primarily, but as elected officials. Negative impacts on the women of Nova Scotia must not be written off as unintended consequences of bad legislation.
Mr. Speaker, Will the minister take what may be his very last chance to admit that these reforms negatively impact women and go back to the department for further analysis and consultation?
HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : Mr. Speaker, I do reject the premise of the question that this government has attacked women. I do not think that is a fair or accurate depiction of any policies that this government has moved forward with.
I will note that while I sympathize with the arguments being presented by the members opposite around the democratic institution of school boards, I must say that the institution of the education system is not here for those folks, it's not here for us, it's here for the students. I will note for this House - that Party has not mentioned students once in this line of questioning.
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